Kmart Black Friday doorbusters start early Thanksgiving morning

For those who just can't wait until 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving to get a jump on Black Friday shopping, Kmart has another option: Wake up at the crack of dawn instead, to get in on the store's 6 a.m. Thanksgiving Day sales.

Those willing to do so may be lured by the promise of a $180 32-inch 720p RCA LCD TV, or a 50-inch Seiki 1080p LCD set for $400, or a $588 60-inch Westinghouse LCD TV. But be forewarned that quantities will be very limited: Kmart guarantees only three of the Seiki sets per store, eight RCAs, and just two Westinghouse TVs per store.

Actually, we found sorting through Kmart's doorbuster sales hours to be the most confusing of any retailer this year. As far as we can tell, the chain's stores will open at 6 a.m. Thanksgiving, with doorbuster sales running until 5 p.m. The sales will resume 2 hours later, at 7 p.m., and continue until 3 a.m. on Black Friday. Doorbuster sales again get kick-started 3 hours later, at 6 a.m., and run until noon on Friday. It's not clear whether the stores will close during the interim hours, or if they'll remain open but not offer doorbuster specials during those time slots.

Kmart's online doorbusters start at 5 a.m. Central Time on Thanksgiving Day and pretty much run nonstop until 2 p.m. Central Time Friday afternoon.

Morning items

Looking at the Black Friday ad scan at the BFads.net Black Friday website, Kmart leads off with the 50-inch Seiki 1080p LED LCD TV (model SE50FY28) for $400, and the 32-inch 720p RCA (model LED32B30RQ) for $180. The 60-inch Westinghouse TV (model VR-6090Z) is a 120Hz 1080p model that is listed as a doorbuster special for "members," but elsewhere in the ad it says you can get a free instant membership at the store.

Two other TV doorbusters—both ProScan brand sets—are available in the morning: a 32-inch LCD/DVD combo (model PLDV321300) for $230, and a 40-inch 1080p LED LCD TV (model PLDED4016A) for $280. (The ProScan brand—once a sub-brand used by RCA for its premium TV products—is now owned by Curtis International.)

If you're shopping for other audio and video products and willing to get up early, there are other morning doorbuster specials. They include:

• a Panasonic 2.1-channel Bluetooth soundbar (SC-HTB65) for $100
• a Samsung 5.1-channel HTIB system with 3D Blu-ray player (HT-F4500) for $168
• JVC Gummy Plus (HAFX5) in-ear earphones for $5
• iLive Blue wireless Bluetooth on-ear headphones (IAHB64) for $25
• an iLive Blue Bluetooth CD/FM boombox (CB233B) for $25

Find the right television for your needs and budget with our TV buying guide and Ratings. And check our holiday and gift guide for more deals and tips!

Based on the ad scans we reviewed, we hope your turkey dinner is more bountiful than the evening TV doorbusters being offered, which kick off at 7 p.m. The sole advertised entry is a 42-inch RCA 1080p LED LCD TV (LED42C45RQ) for $300, another "member" special. And the Black Friday morning TV doorbusters—actually, doorbuster—are equally slim: just a 32-inch Seiki LED LCD TV (model SE32HS01), priced at $169, is advertised.

But pickings are a bit broader during Kmart's three-day Black Friday sale. Among the TVs listed:

• a 24-inch RCA 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV (model LED24C45RQ) for $160
• a 32-inch Samsung 720p 60Hz LED HDTV (UN32EH4003) for $230
• a 39-inch Samsung 39" 1080p 60Hz LED HDTV (UN39FH5000) for $370
• a 55-inch Samsung 1080p LED HDTV (UN55FH6003) for $700
• a 60-inch RCA 1080p 120Hz LED HDTV (LED60B55R120Q) $800

Like Sears, which owns Kmart, the chain will have one of the few doorbuster specials we've seen on a plasma TV: the 51-inch Samsung 720 PN51F4500, priced at $430, the same as at Sears.

Among the other audio and video products on sale are headphones, sound-bar speakers and wireless speakers. They include:

• a 2.1-channel RCA sound bar (RTS7220B) for $60
• the Samsung BD-F5700 Blu-ray player with Wi-Fi for $68
• JVC's Riptidz over-ear headphones (NK780) in assorted colors priced at $15 each
• JVC's Riptidz foldable on-ear headphones (HAS200) for $15 each
• JVC's Riptidz in-ear earphones (HAFX8) priced at $5 each
• an iHome rechargeable Bluetooth mini cube speakers (IBT16) in purple or pink, for $28

As promised in our earlier blogs about Black Friday deals from Best Buy, Target, Sears, and Walmart, we'll be combing though all the deals we've seen to let you know the best ones we've seen on TVs and other audio and video gear. So keep checking back for all our Black Friday updates.

—James K. Willcox